RE THE TITANIC DISASTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1431, 4 May 1912, Page 11

RE THE TITANIC DISASTER.

Sir,—Just a word to put the other side of ; the case for Mr. Ismay and Captain Smith, of the Titanic, so that your readers will not be carried away by the,statements made by several German papers, as per tho report in your issue of April 2G, to the effect that "Captain Smith aimed with criminal ruthlossness for n record voyage." It has not been proved that Captain Smith or his officers were warned of ice fields, nor that anything but icebergs were ahead. In that case there was nothing unusual about the warning, but there" was 1 '" something vety unusual about the size of the ice field which the Titanic struck, while ordinary icebergs would have no doubt been evaded. The speed to break the present Atlantic record would have to bo very near 25knots, Iwhile evidence shows the ship to have been going about 18 knots. 'Who is responsible for this break-neck- speed across tho Atlantic? It is tho outcome of the passengers" desire to make the quickest possiblo crossing. I had the luck to return to Liverpool from New York on the maiden return voyage of tho Mauretania, which averaged a speed of about 24 i knots from shore to shore, through fog for nearly a day, but with no slower speed, and no passenger objected. On the other hand, all passengers, including American and German, helped 1 to swell the collection raised, and given to the firemen for breaking the Atlantic record. ' r .

The very papers in America which now' condemn tho bravo men for being unlucky enough to lose, their lives, and tho lives of others on their ship—these very' papers published in big black type a glowing account of the record made by the Mauretania. All passengers who travel by tho biggest boats 'on their maiden voyages know quite well that the record will bo attempted, and they also know they tako chances. I knew this when I stepped on the Mauretania, and if I could have embarked on a faster steamer I would certainly have booked by her in preference to the Mauretania. The shipping companies know this, and they must break the record, or sacrifice the bulk of the record-loving people. It is very unfair of the American Committee of Inquiry to blame the White Star Company for I record-breaking, when it is the public's own desire, and when tho profits of the company depend on it. It appears to mo that the accident was caused by an unusually largo iceberg—quite an icefield— and if the captain had been wirelessed that an icefield was ahead, I am sure ho would have pulled up altogether, although it would have been an exceptional course to toko to 6top one of the recordbreaking monsters in mid-Atlantic. Tho railway accidents in the States caused by excessive 6peed, etc., show that Americans cannot accuse tho British Shipping Companies of anything more than they do themselves in the way of record-breaking, and record train disasters, too. I wonder how long the British Government will allow tho heroes of the Titanic disaster (like Officer Lowe, who saved so many lives) to bo insulted by such questions as tho one put to Mr. Lowe by the American Inquiry Committee, as follows: "Were you drunk the night before the accident? etc., to which he replied that He was a total abstainer. Judging by tho proceedings, the insinuations made about the WTeck, it would appear as though the American Committee of Inquiry set about to try and defame the characters of the officers and seamen of the Titanic, but I think it will only prove the solid stuff that the British seamen are made of. Considering that nobody suspected that tho Titanic would sink, with her different air-tight compartments, it was a most prudent order of Captain Smith's to place tho women and children in the boats, and considering it was midnight, and tho passengers asleep, it reflects very great credit on all the officers concerned—including Mr. Ismay and passengers who assisted— that there wore so many lives saved. How many more lives would have bjien lost if Captain-Smith had not stuck to his post in the calmest possible manner, and the engineers to theirs with tho most wonderful heroism, keeping their enginos going to provide lights to cnablo passengers to take to tho boats. It is all very well looking back, and saying what should have been done, but I am quite sure that if any other nation's seamen had been controlling this ship, thoy could not have done better-even if thoy had done as well. It reminds me of the story of the wreck of tho Birkenhead—"Save the women and ohildren" -and they were saved, and all the men and soldiers went down with the ship. This is typical of tho exceptional sacrifice done at sea by British sailors in any part of the globo, and it is no uso for anv Committee of Inquiry to look for cowards or weak-hearted men in fhts Tltanio disaster, because I am sure no such men

existed amongst tho officers and S3»nien. Captain Smith deserves credit for the pluck shown by tho men under him, particularly tho engineers, who, in my opinion, should havo a monument erected to tho memory of their heroic stand in the engine-house.—l am, etc., S. TUP-NEE.